


Invisible String

by purestilinski



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Fluff and Angst, only a little angst though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25608613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purestilinski/pseuds/purestilinski
Summary: One look at Laura Hollis, her new roommate, and Carmilla can tell she's studious, tightly-wound, and probably infuriating. There's no way they're going to get along.She's kind of glad when she's proven wrong.
Relationships: Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein
Comments: 7
Kudos: 67





	Invisible String

**Author's Note:**

  * For [secretflame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretflame/gifts).



The moment Carmilla walked into her dorm room and found her roommate already all moved in, sitting at the desk absorbed in the schedule for freshman orientation, she knew they were going to have issues. Just one glance at the girl with light brown hair who wore a stupid light blue button-up shirt and Carmilla could tell she was studious, tightly-wound, and probably infuriating.

Carmilla dragged her suitcases to the side of the room that wasn’t occupied and tossed them aside haphazardly. She was too lazy to unpack at that moment. She’d do it later. She hopped up onto the bare mattress of her bed and made herself comfortable. The noise must have finally been enough to get her roommate’s attention, because the girl set down the little pamphlet in her hands and turned around. She frowned at the sight of Carmilla sprawled on the bed, one of her hands behind her head, one leg bent, and the other resting on top of it. The frown morphed into a hesitant smile as the girl got up and walked to the side of Carmilla’s bed. Carmilla looked up at her in disinterest.

The girl stuck her hand out awkwardly. “Hi, I’m Laura Hollis.”

Carmilla glanced down at the offered hand before giving it a quick shake. She pulled her hand away and let it fall against her stomach. “Carmilla. Karnstein.”

Laura nodded. “Nice to meet you, Carmilla,” she said. She was still standing right next to the bedframe. 

“Uh-huh,” Carmilla replied, wishing the girl would move. She was resigned to the fact that they’d have to talk to one another since they were, you know, roommates, but she’d rather not be towered over while she had to do it.

“Well,” Laura cleared her throat. “The next event starts in thirty minutes at the gym. Do you want to go together?”

Carmilla shook her head. “I’ll pass. I don’t need the whole “welcome to college” spiel.”

Laura looked at her incredulously. “But it’s orientation. You, like, have to go.”

“I wasn’t aware I had to do anything except sleep.”

“It’s mandatory,” Laura said, that frown pulling at her lips again.

Carmilla scoffed. “Do they take attendance?”

“Well…no, but –”

“Then it’s not mandatory, is it?”

Carmilla rolled over so she was facing the wall, effectively ending the conversation. Laura’s sigh sounded like an annoyed child’s, and Carmilla fought the tiny smile that wanted to work its way onto her lips.

About five minutes later, Laura disappeared into the bathroom for a few moments before returning to the room. She grabbed her wallet and phone from the desk before hesitating at the doorway. Finally, she decided on a simple “Bye”. She waited to see if Carmilla would say anything. When she didn’t, Laura grumbled to herself and walked out.

Finally by herself, Carmilla decided that she ought to at least put her sheets on her bed. And maybe unpacking some of her things wasn’t a bad idea either. 

* * *

To Carmilla’s credit, she tried to be quiet when she snuck back into the dorm room high at two in the morning. She shut the door with a soft click, letting the low light of her phone successfully guide her to the middle of the room. She almost made it to her bed without running into any obstacles. _Almost_ , because she lost her balance when her foot got tangled in a small pile of clothes she’d left on the floor. She stumbled forward, her knee colliding with the frame of her bed, and let out a grunt of pain. She clamped down on the noise quickly, but the rustling she heard from Laura’s side of the room indicated that she was too late.

“Carmilla?” Laura’s tired voice grumbled.

In the dark, Carmilla could just barely make out the girl’s silhouette. Laura rubbed at her eyes and pushed herself up, trying to orient herself. Carmilla sighed, preparing herself to deal with a cranky roommate. “Just go back to sleep.”

She was right to prepare herself, because Laura definitely sounded annoyed when her eyes focused on Carmilla and she spoke next. “Why are you making so much noise? It’s,” she reached over for her phone to check the time, “after two in the morning.” 

“It was an accident,” Carmilla defended herself. “I tripped and hit my knee.”

“You woke me up,” Laura stated the obvious.

“Not my fault you’re a light sleeper,” Carmilla shot back.

“Maybe you should try not coming back to the room so late! Where were you even?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because you woke me up!”

“Again, you’re the one who’s a light sleeper.”

“Whatever.” Laura’s tone was hard.

“Yeah, whatever to you too.”

Carmilla tossed back her covers and climbed into bed, setting her phone on the nightstand on the other side of the headrest. She looked over one more time to see that Laura had turned away from her, before turning to face the wall herself.

* * *

Carmilla’s first impression of Laura was right. The girl cared more about her studies than anything else, to a level that was almost concerning. Hell, if LaFontaine and Perry – two of Laura’s close friends – hadn’t barged in some nights to remind her to eat something besides chocolate chip cookies, Carmilla was positive the girl would have accidentally starved herself to death sometime over the course of the first two weeks of the semester.

Carmilla was also right in assuming that Laura was tightly wound. She didn’t like going out much. She didn’t like parties. And she certainly didn’t like occasionally smoking weed or drinking alcohol. All things Carmilla herself liked to do. So, yeah, there was some conflict between the two of them.

Really, the only thing they had in common was that they both liked literature. Carmilla was more of a fan of it than Laura, and her repertoire of books was certainly larger, but once or twice Laura had seen a book in Carmilla’s hands and made an off-handed comment about it that piqued Carmilla’s interest. She thought maybe if they weren’t so at odds with each other, they could actually sit down and have a great, thought-provoking conversation. But they were almost always at each other’s throats, so that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

“You know,” Laura said as she stepped out of the bathroom, hair wet from her shower, “you _could_ try not leaving your hair everywhere. It’s a common courtesy.”

Carmilla didn’t look up from her book. “I could. But I probably won’t.”

Laura stomped her foot petulantly. “You’re so insufferable.”

“Yep, that’s me. Insufferable Carmilla,” she said in a bored voice, flipping the page.

Laura huffed as she took her seat at the desk, opening up her laptop and typing in her password. “Do you even care about _anything?_ ”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I care about this book. Which you’re distracting me from reading. So, be quiet.”

Laura mumbled something under her breath, probably an insult, before opening a blank document. Carmilla briefly glanced up from her book before her eyes darted back down. She finished the page she was on and slid her bookmark in. Then, she tossed the book to the foot of her bed with a sigh.

She tilted her pillow so she could rest against it and sat up enough so she could watch Laura. “What are you working on?”

Laura jumped in surprise due to the punctured silence, her head whipping around to stare at Carmilla.

“Well, don’t just stare at me,” Carmilla said, throwing her hand out in an impatient gesture. “I asked you a question.”

“You…really want to know?” Laura questioned.

“Not really, but tell me anyway.”

Laura rolled her eyes. “A couple of the Zetas found a weird-looking door, and they think it’s a possible entrance to tunnels that lead underneath the campus.”

“Possible?”

“Well, Kirsch – you know Kirsch, right?”

Carmilla shrugged. “Wilson? Yeah, I know him. Shaved head, tall, dumber than a sack of bricks. He’s kind of like an overgrown puppy. I think Brody’s a more fitting name for him.”

“He is _not_ stupid!” Laura looked offended at the accusation.

Carmilla couldn’t stop her lips from turning up. “You have to say that, you’re friends with him.”

“Whatever. Anyway, Kirsch told me that they tried to open it, but something was blocking it from the other side. So, they’re going to look and see if they can find other entrances.”

“And this relates to your blank Word document…how, exactly?”

“I’m going to write about it for my journalism class! It’s informative, interesting, fun, and it relates to the students on campus. It’s perfect!” Laura was absolutely ecstatic, a beaming smile on her face.

“Yeah, but you know next to nothing about it. Just that they might have found something. How are you going to turn that into a story?” Carmilla asked, not trying to insult Laura. She was genuinely curious.

Laura shrugged, the smile never faltering. “I’m not entirely sure. I’ll come up with something, though.”

“You’re really into this whole journalism thing,” Carmilla commented. Despite the fact that she was on her bed and Laura was at the desk, she leaned forward to bring herself the slightest bit closer. She couldn’t deny that she was _a little_ interested in finding out more about Laura. 

Laura nodded. “Well, duh. It’s my passion!”

Carmilla opened her mouth to respond, but she closed it when two pairs of distinct footsteps thundered in the hallway outside. It took a second longer for Laura to hear them, but when she did she turned her body to face the door. By the time LaFontaine and Perry burst in, Carmilla was back to reading her book, face blank, the moment ruined.

Carmilla found Laura’s passionate energy cute, though she wouldn’t say it out loud.

* * *

The first time Laura walked in and found Carmilla in bed with one of her classmates, it was awkward, to say the least.

It was six in the evening, and Laura’s class didn’t end until seven, so she thought the room was hers. She missed the sounds of keys fumbling in the lock and the door opening, only jumping away from the blonde she was in bed with when Laura’s voice rang throughout the room. “Oh my gosh!” she shouted.

“Shit,” Carmilla cursed, rushing to cover her mostly naked form with her covers. The blonde was left with no protection from Laura, whose eyes fell on the girl before darting away. Laura cleared her throat, cheeks reddening, while the blonde hurriedly rushed for her clothes. “What are you doing here so early?” Carmilla asked, frustrated. “Your class ends in an hour.”

“Dr. Carlson had to be somewhere. He canceled the rest of class.” Laura shuffled her feet, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. Her eyes started sliding in the direction of the blonde before they snapped back to a spot on the wall.

“You should have knocked,” Carmilla complained.

Laura scoffed. “How was I supposed to know you were…you know, getting it on in here? There was no sock on the door.”

The blonde finished getting dressed and looked at Carmilla expectantly. Carmilla had no idea what she was supposed to say. So, instead of saying anything, she motioned towards the door. The blonde frowned, but followed the silent instruction and left without a word.

“Great,” Carmilla sighed. She had been really looking forward to relieving some tension. “Thanks for ruining my evening.”

“Oh, boohoo. It’s not my fault you didn’t have the forethought to follow simple roommate protocol,” Laura’s tone was teasing as she turned to face Carmilla, who was still mostly hidden by her covers, but there was a slight undertone to it that was difficult to identify.

It almost sounded like she was upset, maybe even a little angry, at what she’d witnessed. But Carmilla dismissed the thought immediately. Laura was probably just a little annoyed at her for being a “bad roommate” once again.

“How was I supposed to know you were coming back early? You could have texted me or something.”

“I wasn’t aware that I needed to text you when I was walking back to _my own_ room.”

“Whatever, Hollis.”

Laura huffed. “Whatever, Karnstein.”

Carmilla had to admit Laura was cute when she was a little irritated.

Laura took her usual seat at the desk. She opened her package of chocolate chip cookies with one hand, popping one into her mouth, and typed in her laptop password with the other. Carmilla reached behind herself, blindly searching her nightstand until her fingers wrapped around the novel she was in the process of finishing. She pulled out the bookmark, settling against her pillow, and started reading.

Until Laura cleared her throat.

Carmilla looked at her over the top of the book. “What?” she asked, a little frustrated that Laura had now interrupted her for the second time that night. Although, this interruption was much less bothersome than the first.

Laura mumbled something under her breath.

“What?” Carmilla repeated.

“Your clothes,” Laura said, raising her voice a bit so Carmilla could hear her.

“What about them?”

“They’re…not on you,” she said dumbly.

Carmilla cocked a brow. “And?”

“Could you put them on?” Laura asked. “Please,” she added.

Carmilla sighed. “Fine.”

She reached down to grab her bra, black shirt, and sleep shorts. After she clasped her bra, Laura’s head tilted, and Carmilla could see Laura’s eyes flicking to her repeatedly while she pulled on her shorts and shirt. She pretended not to notice, but Laura’s actions confused her. Why was she looking if Carmilla’s nakedness made her uncomfortable?

“Happy?” Carmilla asked.

“Yes, thank you.” Laura turned back around to focus on the assignment she had pulled up.

“You’re not welcome.”

“Har har, you’re so funny.”

Carmilla couldn’t stop her tiny laugh. Laura made no indication that she paid attention to it, though, and soon the room fell into silence once more.

A few hours later, Laura shut down her laptop and decided to call it a night. She grabbed some clothes from her dresser and walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she came out, she was in grey sleep shorts and a white shirt.

“Are you going out soon?” Laura asked.

Carmilla looked up at her. “You know me so well.”

“Well, try not to wake me up when you come back.”

“No promises.”

Laura rolled her eyes. She straightened up, stretched her arms out, and yawned loudly, the shirt riding up to expose a sliver of skin. Carmilla glanced at it quickly, averting her gaze before Laura could notice. She was cute when she yawned.

Actually, Carmilla noted, she was cute when she did a lot of things.

* * *

Normally, nothing scared Carmilla. But today, she had decided on a night in. She was curled underneath a blanket on her bed. Her music played softly through her earbuds while she read the last chapter of a book that had taken her all week to finish. She’d even made a cup of tea, something she hardly ever did. She was relaxed. She was in the zone.

So, when Laura burst into the room in a huge panic, the door slamming loudly against the wall, Carmilla might have let out an uncharacteristic shout of surprise. She rubbed at her chest and took a few calming breaths to relax. By the time she had recovered from her scare and tugged her earbuds out, Laura was mumbling incoherently at the desk, tossing papers around in her haste.

“What the hell, Hollis?” Carmilla demanded.

Laura ignored her, collapsing into her seat. She reached into her backpack, pulling out a huge binder and flipping to a green-colored folder. She pulled a few more papers from it and laid them on the desk.

Carmilla became even more frustrated by Laura’s lack of acknowledgment and raised her voice. “Hollis! What the hell?”

“Huh?” Laura said, snapping out of her trance. “Oh, hi, Carmilla.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Yeah, hello to you too. Why did you barge in here and ruin my peace?”

“I’m panicking,” Laura said. It was self-explanatory, really, but it still didn’t explain _why_ she was freaking out.

Carmilla sighed and shut her book, setting it on the nightstand. “Why are you panicking, exactly?”

“Because,” Laura groaned, roughly pressing her palms against her forehead, “I have a biology test tomorrow and I am going to fail. I am going to fail and then I won’t have my A anymore and my dad will kill me.”

“You’re not going to fail. Worst comes to worst, you end up with a B or something in the class after the test. What’s the big deal about that? You’ve gotten a B before, right?” Carmilla didn’t get the big deal. Yeah, it was always nice to get good grades, but as long as she passed the class, she didn’t really care about the margin with which she did.

Evidently, Laura did though. “No! I’m a straight-A student, Carmilla! This cannot be happening to me right now!”

Carmilla didn’t really know why she did what she did next, but her mouth was forming words before she really put much thought into them. “I’ll help.”

Laura turned her head slightly in Carmilla’s direction, surprise coloring her expression. “You will?”

Carmilla shrugged nonchalantly. “Sure. Biology is easy for me, so I’m sure I can be _some_ help to you. But,” she gave Laura a look when her roommate groaned. “First, you need to eat. And I don’t mean your chocolate chip cookies. I mean an actual meal. So, go make yourself something and come back after you’ve eaten. I’ll be right here.”

Laura jumped out of her seat, grabbing her coat and pulling it on with a speed that was almost superhuman. She ran to the door, paused, and then ran backward. Before Carmilla knew what was happening, Laura’s lips were pressed against her cheek. And then they were gone. “Thank you so much, Carmilla!” She disappeared into the hallway in a whirlwind of chaotic energy.

Carmilla blinked a few times in shock, bringing her fingers up to softly graze the skin Laura had kissed moments ago.

What the hell just happened?

She decided that a quick joint would put her at ease. Mind still on the cheek kiss, she pushed herself to her feet and crouched down to pull the small chest out from underneath her bed. She unlocked it, reaching inside to grab a pre-roll tube and her lighter. It would only take her around fifteen-to-twenty minutes out by the curb to smoke the joint, and she’d be back before Laura returned. At least, she thought she would be. That made her hesitate. She could easily make Laura wait. It wasn’t like the other girl could do anything about it. But for some reason the thought of Laura waiting on her, even if it was only for a few minutes, made Carmilla feel guilty. She’d promised she would be waiting in the dorm room, and she would keep her word. She put the lighter and pre-roll tube back and locked the chest, shoving it deep underneath her bed.

She decided to take a quick shower instead, hoping the water beating against her body would distract her from her thoughts.

It did. By the time Laura got back, Carmilla was certain she had herself back under control.

They decided to work together on Carmilla’s bed. Carmilla used her pillow as a backrest and leaned against the headboard while Laura sat cross-legged at the foot of her bed. First, they ran through the basics of gene expression, Carmilla essentially re-teaching the lesson from Laura’s notes and adding additional points from memory. It took a while, but eventually Laura was ready to be quizzed.

“What are the two steps of protein synthesis?” Carmilla asked, watching the contemplative look on Laura’s face.

“Transcription and Translation,” Laura sounded unsure, and her eyes were locked on the bedspread.

“Hey,” Carmilla said. Once Laura finally looked at her, she spoke again, “Say it with more confidence. You got it right, cupcake.”

The endearment slipped from her lips before her brain could catch it. The foolish hope that it would go unnoticed was quickly dashed when Laura’s eyes widened.

“Did you just…call me –”

“Shut up,” Carmilla cut her off, forcing down a blush. “Where do Transcription and Translation take place?”

“Transcription takes place in the nucleus. Translation takes place in the cytoplasm.”

“Good.”

Quizzing continued like that as they worked their way deeper into the chapter. They established a flow and made good progress, Carmilla only needing to pause and explain something every once in a while. And then, not for the first time that night, Carmilla noticed Laura looking at her with rapt attention. She had ignored it the first few times it happened, but she wasn’t going to this time.

“What?” she groaned, setting down the paper in her hand.

“What’s wrong?” asked Laura.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Carmilla’s eyes narrowed as she watched Laura avert her gaze.

“Like what?” Laura flexed her fingers in the sheets, everything about her body language signaling that she was suddenly uncomfortable.

“Like…the way you’re looking at me! I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Well, maybe you’re going crazy.”

Carmilla snorted. “You’re the crazy one, creampuff.”

Laura grinned, kicking her foot out to shove Carmilla’s leg. “Whatever, Karnstein.”

Carmilla grinned right back. “Whatever, Hollis.”

* * *

Carmilla would be loath to admit it but, after that night, she changed a few of her habits to make Laura happier. She made sure she didn’t leave her hair everywhere in the bathroom and she actually cleaned up her side of the room so that it wasn’t a total mess. Rome wasn’t built in a day, however, and she slipped up once or twice, but Laura never commented on it like she did before Carmilla had started to make a concentrated effort. She still went out late at night and didn’t return until the early hours of the morning but, unless she woke Laura up, there was no issue there.

They got along well – really well. Carmilla would even say they were fairly good friends. They spent time together, actively getting to know more about each other’s lives and interests. Laura updated her on the Zetas’ find. It turned out that the entrance did lead to a maze of tunnels, but the only noteworthy thing they had found was a gold sword stuck in a rock. Kirsch named it the Blade of Hastur and took it with him.

Carmilla finally had an actual conversation with Laura about literature. It wasn’t as long as she had hoped it would be, because Laura had to leave abruptly when she’d gotten a message from Perry that LaFontaine had messed up in one of the science laboratories, but it was enough to leave her wanting more.

Hell, they even had a movie night with LaFontaine, Perry, and Kirsch. How Laura convinced her to hang out with that group of buffoons, Carmilla still didn’t know. But it was a really good night. She had a lot of fun, more fun than she’d let on when Laura asked. When Laura made her join their group chat at the end of the night, her resistance was just for show.

That group of weirdos wasn’t as bad as she’d thought they would be and, maybe, she wouldn’t mind spending more time with them.

Things between the two roommates were going great.

Until Laura walked in on Carmilla and another girl having sex for the second time.

This time, when the door opened, Carmilla was in an even more compromising position, her head in-between the girl’s legs. She tried to move, but both herself and the girl in her bed seemed to be frozen in place. Her eyes snapped towards the entrance, instantly landing on Laura’s face. She expected exasperation or annoyance, but she was met with an unreadable expression that had her insides twisting with uneasiness.

“Oh,” was all Laura said before she cleared her throat and stepped back into the hallway, closing the door forcefully behind her.

The redhead in bed with her – her name might have been Katherine, Carmilla wasn’t sure – cleared her throat. She looked at Carmilla expectantly, but the raven-haired girl shook her head.

“I think you should go,” Carmilla said.

“Are you serious?”

Carmilla nodded, sitting up and reaching for her clothes. The redhead looked like she wanted to argue, but Carmilla’s harsh glare made her think twice. Wordlessly, they both got dressed. The redhead grabbed her things and walked out, leaving Carmilla by herself.

She pulled out her phone, unlocking it and opening up her messages. She clicked on Laura’s name to let her know that the girl was gone and that she could come back to their room. Thumbs hovering over the keyboard, she faltered.

Was Laura mad that she had forgotten to put a sock on the door again? Or was it something else? Was she even mad? Laura’s expression had been blank, and Carmilla was confused. In the end, she decided not to text.

Laura didn’t return until late at night, at a time when Carmilla would usually be out of their room. But she wasn’t. She stayed in, waiting for Laura to come back so they could talk. When the lock twisted, Carmilla sat up a little straighter but otherwise maintained her casual position against the headboard. The door opened and Laura stepped inside, not looking at Carmilla’s side of the room.

“What’s got your panties in a twist, creampuff?” Carmilla asked casually.

Briefly glancing in her direction, Laura quickly averted her gaze and shut the door behind her. “Nothing.”

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t seem like nothing.”

“Well, it is.”

Carmilla sighed. “If you’re upset that I forgot to put a sock on the door, I promise I’ll remember to do it next time.”

Laura carelessly tossed her backpack down at the foot of her bed before pulling off her jacket. For a moment, she said nothing, and Carmilla wondered if she was going to be ignored. “I don’t care about the sock,” she said.

“Then…why are you mad?”

“I’m not mad. I’m tired,” Laura said, her voice hard. She grabbed a pair of pajamas from her dresser. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

When she came out of the bathroom, she crawled underneath her covers and closed her eyes without saying goodnight.

Carmilla figured that maybe Laura just needed to sleep it off.

* * *

The next morning, it became very clear that Laura was mad. At her, specifically. Carmilla’s “good morning” was met with an “mm-hum”. Laura got up first, pulling her phone off the charger and grabbing her earbuds. She put them in before she was even out of bed. She went about her morning routine listening to loud music. She got dressed, checked her backpack to make sure she had everything for the day, and made coffee, all without saying a word. And then she was out of the room without a glance in Carmilla’s direction.

So, yeah, Laura was definitely angry. Carmilla wasn’t exactly sure why, and since Laura would be in classes for most of the day, she wasn’t going to wait around for answers. Laura’s friends seemed like a good alternative to Laura herself, so that was where Carmilla started. Except, they either didn’t know why Laura was upset or they were told not to tell her, because they were useless.

“Have you tried cookies? Cookies usually make her feel better,” Perry advised.

“Nope, sorry. I didn’t talk to Laura much yesterday. She said she was with Kirsch,” LaFontaine said.

“Sorry, dudette,” Kirsch shrugged. “She seemed off, but she didn’t mention why. I hope she feels better soon though.”

So, Carmilla was left to stew, wondering what she had done wrong. She didn’t have any classes that day (her one evening class had been canceled), so she busied herself cleaning the room. It helped keep her from going crazy. Plus, she hoped that Laura would be appreciative of her effort. Maybe it would be enough for her roommate to tell her what was going on. When she was done, she slid back into her pajamas, took up a comfortable reading position in bed, and waited.

When Laura finally walked through the door, her earbuds were still firmly in her ears, her eyes on her own side of the room. Carmilla waited impatiently as Laura set down her things. She checked her phone and muttered something under her breath. She removed her headphones and plugged the device in to charge.

Carmilla jumped at the opportunity, though she tried to act as relaxed as possible. “Hey, creampuff.”

Laura leaned across her bed to grab her pillow, which was propped against the wall, and started to fluff it out. “Hi.”

“How was your day?” Carmilla asked, setting the opened book against her chest. “Better than your morning, I would hope.”

Laura paused briefly, like Carmilla had noticed something she wasn’t supposed to, and then resumed tidying up her bed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Carmilla shrugged even though Laura wasn’t looking at her. “Just that you seemed angry this morning.”

“I wasn’t angry.”

“No? Could have fooled me.”

Laura scoffed, whirling around to face Carmilla as she did so. She raised her arms in front of herself in exasperation. “What reason could I possibly have to be angry?”

“Me,” Carmilla said softly, letting a bit of vulnerability creep into her voice. She sat up, scooching to the edge of her bed.

Laura’s eyes, two conflicted orbs, locked with her own. Her fingers twitched at her sides. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“I don’t know. I was kind of hoping you would tell me, cupcake.”

Carmilla watched as Laura’s eyes softened and her defensive posture deflated. Laura opened her mouth to speak but, before she could, there was a loud knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Laura told her.

Carmilla turned her head, wondering if she was seriously about to get interrupted by LaFontaine again. The reality was so much worse, though, as the redhead from yesterday brushed her way past Laura and into the room.

“Forgot something.” The girl got down on her knees and pulled a jacket out from a pile of discarded clothes underneath Carmilla’s bed. She’d forgotten to clean that area earlier and hadn’t even noticed the jacket had been left the day before. The girl shot Carmilla a flirtatious wink, ignoring the furious look she got in return. “Bye, Carm,” she husked, before eyeing Laura and walking out.

Carmilla cleared her throat, watching in disappointment as Laura’s face closed off again. She was expressionless, but her eyes were still home to her anger. Laura turned away from Carmilla quickly and walked to the desk to take a seat. Carmilla sighed in frustration. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Whatever, Karnstein,” Laura snapped.

Carmilla winced at the sharp tone used for what had become one of the consistent playful phrases they used with each other. In one last attempt to get Laura to open up to her before she lost her for the night, Carmilla said, “I cleaned the room earlier.”

“Thanks,” Laura monotoned, shoving the lid of her laptop open. Her fingers thudded across the keyboard as she unlocked it. Carmilla peeked over her shoulder to see what she was doing and sighed again when she saw a ridiculous amount of assignments being pulled up. Laura was going to busy herself for the rest of the night so she didn’t have to talk.

Pushing herself to her feet, Carmilla grabbed a hoodie before sliding the chest out from underneath the bed. She unlocked it and grabbed two pre-rolls and her lighter. Not bothering to lock it, she kicked it back under her bed in frustration. Laura didn’t glance back at her as she left. Carmilla shoved the items inside her pockets before making her way down the hall and descending the stairs. A few guys were playing card games in the lobby, but they paid her no mind. She walked into the night’s cool air and quickly crossed the parking lot, her pace brisk.

After a long five minutes, she reached the campus garden, her favorite smoke spot. She collapsed onto one of the stone benches, taking a few minutes to admire all the pretty flowers that surrounded her. Then, she pulled out the first pre-roll, flicked the lighter’s spark-wheel, and lit up the joint. She took a few hits, enjoying the sensation of her body releasing pent-up tension. She relaxed for a good ten minutes, letting the weed cloud her mind.

Obviously, the direct approach wasn’t working with Laura, so she tried to think up other ways she could get the girl to talk to her. She supposed she could just wait and let the whole thing blow over, but then she wouldn’t have any answers. And she wanted answers badly. She could be overly nice, but her roommate would probably just find that weird.

Or…she could annoy Laura until she was forced to talk.

She checked her phone for the time and settled in to enjoy the next few hours, already knowing how she would begin her plan.

* * *

Carmilla was loud when she walked back into the room at two-thirty in the morning. Instead of carefully opening the door, she swung it open. The whine of the hinges caused Laura to move in her sleep. Kicking the door closed behind her, Carmilla crossed the room with loud footsteps. Once she reached her bed, she yanked the chest out from under it. The resulting thud caused Laura to snap awake.

“Seriously, Karnstein?” Laura borderline-yelled. “What is _wrong_ with you?”

Carmilla giggled, still feeling the effects of the weed. She opened up the chest to put the lighter and empty tubes back. “Probably too many things to count.”

Laura flinched when the lid of the chest slammed down. She reached for her lamp, pulling on the chain to illuminate the room in soft light. When Carmilla turned around, she was met with Laura’s annoyed and judgmental gaze. “Are you high?” Laura asked, though by the way she sniffed the air and scrunched her nose in distaste, she knew the answer to that question.

“As a kite, creampuff.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

Carmilla snorted. “In what way?”

She tugged off her hoodie and shirt and grabbed a pajama top, slipping into it. Reaching under the material, she unclasped her bra and tossed it to the side before climbing under the covers to take off her pants. She tossed those at the foot of her bed and looked over at Laura, who was no longer looking in her direction. “In what way?” she repeated.

Laura pinched the bridge of her nose. “In every way, Karnstein. You are unbelievable in every single way imaginable.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t meant as one.”

“It kind of felt like one.”

“Well, it wasn’t!” Laura snapped.

“Whatever you say, Hollis.”

“Whatever, Karnstein.”

With an annoyed huff, Laura pulled the lamp’s chain and the room was once again bathed in darkness.

Carmilla grinned. Her plan was already progressing nicely. 

* * *

Laura wasn’t ignoring her anymore, per se, but she was certainly dodging Carmilla as much as possible. She opted to study in the library instead of at home. Most of her free time was spent in LaFontaine and Perry’s room. For the past few days, other than mornings and nights, Carmilla had basically had the dorm room to herself. It was annoying to say the least, because Carmilla still had no idea _what_ she’d done wrong. If it was anyone other than Laura that was upset at her, she probably wouldn’t have cared. But it _was_ Laura. And Laura was her roommate; Laura was her friend; Laura was special, even if she hadn’t quite figured out to what extent. Which meant she had to fix the situation.

Carmilla waited until Laura’s hardest day of the week before she executed the next part of her plan.

“Mornin’, cupcake,” Carmilla said with a bit more energy than usual as they both sat up in bed.

With a yawn, Laura groped around her nightstand until she found her phone. Her fingers wrapped around it and she jabbed at the screen to shut off the alarm that had woken them both up. “Why’re you so cheery?”

“No reason,” Carmilla shrugged, throwing off the covers and standing up. She started walking towards the bathroom.

Laura blinked and rubbed at her eyes a few times before noticing what Carmilla was doing. “Hey! I have class in thirty minutes! You don’t have one for another two hours!”

Opening the door and looking back, Carmilla could see the annoyance already creeping its way onto Laura’s face. Perfect. “I feel shitty. I’ll be quick, I promise.”

She wasn’t quick.

Fifteen minutes filled with angry pounding and a few shouts through the bathroom door later, Laura let out a loud noise of frustration. About a minute after, the front door slammed. Carmilla opened the bathroom door slightly, peeking into their room to make sure Laura was really gone, and then walked out. Step one of her plan was complete. It was time for step two.

She walked over to the desk, stopping to take in the papers that had been left on it. There was a decent-sized stack of biology papers next to a smaller stack of pre-calculus worksheets. A few sociology notes were tossed around. Carmilla spotted one on the floor next to the chair, which she bent down to pick up and put back on the desk. But what drew her attention the most was the sheer amount of journalism papers. There were too many to count. She skimmed through the first few sheets, noting that they were all filled with ideas and notes for different stories written in Laura’s meticulous scrawl. Maybe she’d look through them later.

She opened the drawer where Laura kept her chocolate chip cookies and pulled out the package. Then, she scrolled through her contacts until she found Kirsch. She dialed his number and didn’t even have to wait for the second ring.

“What’s up, dudette?” he asked excitedly. “You never call!”

“Kirsch, hey. Listen, do you want some free cookies?”

“How could anyone say no to free cookies?”

“Exactly what I was thinking. Swing by the room in the next thirty minutes? I have to get ready for class after that.”

“Sounds good, bro!”

“Bro? I’m a girl.”

“All my friends are bros,” he said before hanging up.

He was such a strange, yet nice guy. Much too nice for those other douchebag Zetas that he called brothers. She grabbed a few handfuls of Laura’s cookies, stuck them in a Ziploc baggie, and sealed it. Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and Carmilla tugged off her earbuds and went to answer it. Kirsch waved eagerly at her, waiting for her to step aside before walking into the room.

“How’s it goin’?” he asked, a wide smile on his face that Carmilla couldn’t help but return.

“It’s goin’, Kirsch. It’s goin’,” she replied. She grabbed the bag and held it out to him.

He didn’t take it though. His eyes darted from the package of chocolate chip cookies on the desk to the baggie in Carmilla’s hands. “Uhhh, those are Laura’s cookies.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So?”

“Bro, there are a few “don’ts” when it comes to Laura, but there are two very important ones. Don’t eat her chocolate chip cookies. And don’t touch her yellow pillow.”

Don’t touch her yellow pillow, huh? Interesting.

She stepped forward, waving the baggie in front of his face. “Kirsch, you want cookies, right?”

“Well, yeah,” he said, nodding his head. “But not Laura’s.”

“What if I told you Laura asked me to give these to you?”

His face lit up. “She did?”

“She sure did.”

“That’s awesome!” He took the cookies from her, opening the baggie and popping one into his mouth. “Tell her I said thanks!”

“I will,” Carmilla smiled. “Now, I gotta get ready for class. I’ll see you around, Kirsch?”

“Of course!”

He walked out the door with a wave.

* * *

Carmilla munched on yet another chocolate chip cookie. Sitting in Laura’s chair, her sock-covered feet kicked up on the desk, she worked her way through the papers pertaining to Laura’s journalism class while she waited for the girl herself. Some of them were about the tunnels the Zetas had found, others were about a few incidents that had occurred in the science building over the semester (at least one of which was caused by LaFontaine), and then there was a “scrapped ideas” paper of topics Laura had ultimately decided not to write about.

When the door opened behind her and the sound of a soft yawn reached Carmilla’s ears, she popped another cookie into her mouth.

“You’re at the desk?” Laura said, shutting the door. “Since when do you – hey! Are those my chocolate chip cookies?”

Carmilla turned around, purposely taking a bite of one as she did. “They’re so good.”

Laura growled, a noise that came as a surprise, and lunged forward, snatching the packaging from the desk. “These are mine! You can’t just _take_ my cookies!” She looked down at the near-empty package. “Oh my God, they’re almost gone! What the hell?”

Carmilla shrugged. “I was hungry and I didn’t want to go get food from the dining hall. You left those out, so I decided to snack. Sorry, creampuff.”

Laura shot her a scathing look. “Don’t you “creampuff” me! And I know for a fact that I _didn’t_ leave these out. They were in the drawer where they always are, so that your grimy hands don’t touch them!”

“Whoops.”

“Ugh, what am I going to eat while I study now?”

“You could always eat an actual meal?” Carmilla suggested, knowing it would just irk Laura more.

“Shut up!” Laura narrowed her eyes at her, clearly displeased. “And you owe me a brand new box of cookies.”

Carmilla wanted to argue but the look on Laura’s face told her it would be a bad idea. Maybe pushing her luck right now wasn’t the smartest move. So, she acquiesced. “I suppose that’s fair.”

“You’re dang right it is.”

* * *

The next night, Carmilla enacted step three of her plan. If all went well, it would be the _last_ step too. She had thought about doing it while Laura was getting ready for bed the night before, but ultimately decided the girl deserved a reprieve. Now, though, she was getting her answers whether Laura wanted to give them to her or not.

And, unbeknownst to them, LaFontaine provided the perfect opportunity for her.

“LaF wants to hang out and watch some alien movie with me,” Laura said, reading the message off of her phone. She slid on her socks and shoes, tying the laces and standing up quickly, apparently eager to escape the room. “I’ll be back in a while.”

Carmilla sighed inwardly at Laura’s keenness. “Um-hmm.”

Once the other girl was out of the room, the door closed behind her, Carmilla felt herself deflate a little. She’d tried not to think about it too much over the week or so since Laura’s attitude had shifted, but she missed how close they’d gotten. Hanging out together had been so easy and natural, and she’d gotten used to it. She wondered if Laura knew that she was hurting. Probably not, since she’d done such a good job of hiding it. But, hopefully, she wouldn’t have to for much longer.

Feeling a little hungry, she decided to finish off the leftover Chinese food in the fridge. Once she was done, she threw it in the trash. Figuring that she should at least do something nice before Laura’s inevitable implosion from her plan, Carmilla pulled the bag out of the can and tied it, taking it outside to the dumpster. Then, she washed her hands, changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and got ready for bed.

She ignored the tiny bit of guilt she felt when she took Laura’s prized yellow pillow. She hesitated for a moment before putting the pillow up to her nose and inhaling Laura’s scent. It was comforting. Maybe a little too comforting, because when she pushed her pillow to the side and set Laura’s down in its place, she was ready to fall asleep. She tried to blink the sleep away to no avail.

When she woke up, it was to Laura’s voice.

“Where is it?” Laura exclaimed loudly.

“Huh?” Carmilla asked, rubbing at her eyes. She watched in confusion as Laura practically ripped her bed apart in search of something.

“Where. Is. My. Yellow. Pillow.” She growled in frustration.

At that, Carmilla pushed her sleepiness to the side and snapped to attention.

Laura whirled around frantically, her eyes wide. They fell on Carmilla, or, more specifically, the object underneath Carmilla’s head. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Why do you have my pillow?”

Carmilla smirked. “Because it’s comfortable.”

And that was that. Laura blew up in her face. “Okay, what the actual _hell_ , Carmilla? First, you come back to the room high and wake me up. Then, you steal my cookies. And now, you steal my pillow! Seriously, what is your problem?”

Problem? Carmilla tried to get herself under control, but Laura’s last sentence pissed her off, and suddenly she found herself raising her voice. “What’s _my_ problem? What’s _your_ problem?”

“I don’t _have_ a problem!”

Carmilla sat up, her hands squeezing the covers. “Obviously, you do! You’ve been acting differently all week. And I want to know why, but you won’t tell me.”

Laura took a step forward, her eyes never leaving Carmilla’s own. “Is that why you’ve been pissing me off as much as possible? Because you want me to talk?”

“Yes.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Laura said, stepping closer to the bed. “I’ll talk. You want to know why I’ve been acting so weird lately? It’s because I’m jealous, Carmilla. I’m fucking jealous of the girls you bring to bed. We were getting along so well. Everything between us just _clicked_ and I thought…I thought maybe you felt it too. But then I walked in on you with that redhead and it hurt because I’m right here. I’m right fucking here and I’ve wanted you since you helped me study for that stupid test, but I don’t know if you want me.”

Carmilla wasn’t sure when during the ramble Laura had joined her on the bed, but suddenly she became aware of the lack of space between their bodies, Laura’s breath ragged against her skin. Carmilla’s heart thudded wildly against her chest. Laura wanted her. It took her a few attempts, but she swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat. “Just to clarify...when you say you want me, you don’t mean in a “just for one night” kind of way, right?”

Laura’s eyes searched Carmilla’s, looking for something. She must have found it, because she nodded. “I want all of you, Carmilla.”

“I want you too,” Carmilla breathed out.

Laura’s hand reached out to gently cup her cheek, her face inching even closer to the point where their noses were almost touching. “Can I kiss you?”

“Please.”

And then Laura’s lips were on hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song by the same name off Taylor Swift's new album


End file.
